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Copywriting
How to Craft Compelling Copy
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COPYWRITING - HOW TO CRAFT COMPELLING COPY
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COPYWRITING 101 - HOW TO CRAFT COMPELLING
COPY
Poor Fluffy. I asked you not to do this, and you’ve gone and broken the rules.
Things don’t look good for this cute little kitten I’ve taken hostage in case my
demands were not met. She is awfully sweet, though.
We’ll just have to wait until later on in the chapter to decide the fate of Fluffy.
But first, we really do need to discuss the ultimate goal of good copywriting.
Let’s get started. What is the primary purpose of any piece of writing that
you put out online — whether a blog post, a networking email, a sales letter
or a tutorial?
Makes sense.
So, what’s the primary purpose of your headline, your graphics, your fonts, and
every other part of the content?
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But it all came together for me when legendary copywriter and direct
marketer Joe Sugarman shared his secret for becoming a great copywriter:
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“And the purpose of the first sentence is to get the second sentence read,”
he continued.
And so on, down a slippery slide that leads to your offer and the sale.
This is an extremely valuable way to go about structuring any writing, and it’s
crucial to writing intended to persuade or sell. Many times we find ourselves
so eager to arrive at our conclusion that we forget that the essence of making
a persuasive point (or causing any action) is how we get there.
Step by step.
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And while I did get you to read this entire chapter, I wouldn’t exactly
recommend the strategy employed here. It worked, but pulling cheap stunts
like this won’t help you in the long run.
Besides … my four year old daughter staged a daring rescue of the kitten
when I wasn’t looking.
Kids!
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To Be, or Not to Be
Now that’s a question.
The first six words of Hamlet’s Act III, Scene 1 soliloquy are without doubt the
most famous line William Shakespeare ever wrote. It’s also one of the most
recognizable quotes in the English-speaking world.
The lesson? Keep it simple. Good copy is written in clear, concise, simple words
that get your point across. It’s conversational.
You can also fracture the occasional rule of grammar, if it helps to make
your writing more digestible. Sentence fragments, one-sentence paragraphs,
beginning with conjunctions and ending in prepositions are all fine,
even desirable.
And don’t forget to use plenty of bullets and numbered lists. Think your
audience is too sophisticated for this? Don’t be so sure.
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The bad news is that these kids are more literate than the average US adult,
which is not that surprising considering that the vast majority of US adults
have less education.
So … keep it simple and clear. No one will ever complain that your writing is
too easy to understand.
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But a headline can do more than simply grab attention. A great headline can
also communicate a full message to its intended audience, and it absolutely
must lure the reader into your body text.
In The Copywriter’s Handbook, copywriter Bob Bly sets forth eight time-tested
headline categories that compel action and rake in sales:
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you then incorporate into the headline, such as Two Hundred Reasons
Why Open Source Software Beats Microsoft. It’s not even necessary
to include the words “reasons why.” This technique is actually the
underlying strategy behind the ubiquitous blogger “list” posts, such as
8 Ways to Build Blog Traffic.
• Finally, we have the Testimonial Headline, which is highly effective
because it presents outside proof that you offer great value. This entails
taking what someone else has said about you, your product or service,
and using their actual words in your headline. Quotation marks let the
reader know that they are reading a testimonial, which will continue in
the body copy. An example might be “I Read Copyblogger First Thing
Each Morning,” admits Angelina Jolie.
Next, let’s take a look at why headlines are so important (with some surprising
statistics and stories) and get more tips on how to improve your headline-
writing skills.
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Despite that, many still underestimate just how important headlines are. So
here are some anecdotes, facts, and guidelines that can help you write even
better headlines (and also let you know how much you should focus on them).
Advertising legend David Ogilvy knew the power of headlines, and how the
headline literally determined whether the advertisement would get read. He
rewrote this famous headline for an automobile advertisement 104 times:
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At 60 miles an hour, the only thing you hear in the new Rolls Royce is the ticking
of the dashboard clock …
Master copywriter Gene Schwartz often spent an entire week on the first 50
words of a sales piece — the headline and the opening paragraph. Those
50 words are the most important part of any persuasive writing, and writing
them well takes time.
On average, 8 out of 10 people will read headline copy, but only 2 out of 10
will read the rest. This is the secret to the power of the headline, and why it so
highly determines the effectiveness of the entire piece.
The better the headline, the better your odds of beating the averages and
getting what you’ve written read by a larger percentage of people.
Writing a great headline doesn’t guarantee the success of your writing. The
benefit conveyed in the headline still needs to be properly satisfied in the
body copy, either with your content or your offer.
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But great body content with a bad or even marginal headline is doomed to
go unread.
The copywriting trainers at American Writers & Artists teach The Four U’s
approach to writing headlines.
Copywriter Clayton Makepeace says to ask yourself six questions before you
start to write your headline:
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Makepeace’s six questions combined with the basic structure of The Four U’s
provide an excellent framework for writing spectacular headlines. Note that
just about any headline which satisfies the framework will fall into one of the
eight categories you learned in the last section.
It takes work and focus, but the effort will make you a more popular blogger
and a more profitable businessperson.
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Good content structure is never written in stone, but persuasive copy will do
certain things and contain certain elements time and time again. Whether
you’re writing a sales page, long blog post, or promotional ebook, the flow will
determine effectiveness.
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• These are some of the key elements of persuasive copy. Use them to
provide a “roadmap” to your writing, and you’ll achieve better results.
Now that you know the basics of creating persuasive copy, let’s dig into one
particular element of copywriting that often trips up beginners -- features
and benefits.
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This is one rule that always applies, except when it doesn’t. We’ll look at the
exceptions in a bit.
Fake Benefits
The idea of highlighting benefits over features seems simple. But it’s often
tough to do in practice.
Top copywriter Clayton Makepeace asserts that fake benefits will kill sales
copy, so you have to be on the lookout for them in your writing. He uses this
headline as an example:
That sounds pretty beneficial, doesn’t it? In reality, there’s not a single real
benefit in the headline.
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True Benefits
Makepeace advises to apply his patented “forehead slap” test to see if your
copy truly contains a benefit to the reader. In other words, have you ever
woken up from a deep sleep, slapped yourself in the forehead, and exclaimed
“Man… I need to balance my blood sugar levels naturally!”
It doesn’t happen. So getting someone to pull out their wallet to buy that so-
called “benefit” will be difficult at best.
Here’s how Makepeace identifies the real benefit hidden in that headline:
Nobody really wants to balance their blood sugar levels. But anyone in his or her
right mind DOES want to avoid the misery of blindness … cold, numb, painful
limbs … amputation … and premature death that go along with diabetes.
A high risk person will want to avoid the terrible effects of diabetes. That is the
true benefit that the example product offers.
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Let’s look at a product feature for a fictional News Feed Reader app:
Feature:
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“Keeps the things you read the most at the forefront when you’re in a hurry.”
Emotional Root:
“Stay up to date on the things that add value to your life and career, without
getting stressed out from information overload.”
Getting to the emotional root is crucial for effective consumer sales. But what
about business prospects?
However, with innovative features, you still need to move the prospect
down the four-step path. While the phrase “contains an artificial intelligence
algorithm” may be enough to get the Slashdot reader salivating, he’ll still want
to know how it works and what it does for him. The What’s in it for me? aspect
remains crucial.
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For business buyers, you’re stressing “bottom line” benefits from innovative
features. If you can demonstrate that the prospect will be a hero because your
CRM product will save her company $120,000 a year compared to the current
customer relationship management choice, you’ve got a good shot.
While that may seem like a no-brainer purchase to you, you’ll still need to
strongly support the promised benefit with a detailed explanation of how
the features actually deliver. Remember, change scares the business buyer,
because it’s their job or small business on the line if the product disappoints.
Persuading your reader with features and benefits is important -- but you
also need to know how to craft a truly compelling offer. Let’s look at some
guidelines for creating offers in our next section.
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That’s called an offer. It’s not the restaurant’s main offering (which is trading
Mexican food for money). As far as that goes, this is probably the third best
(out of four) Mexican food joints in my hometown.
But every Monday and Tuesday night, the place is packed. They’ve made an
appealing offer that caused people to take action.
The relationship is based on mutual promises. I’ll do this for you if you give me
money or attention or sex or friendship…
Joyner’s work makes great companion reading to Seth Godin’s All Marketers
Are Liars, because both books say the same thing in different ways.
Formulating an irresistible offer means telling a story that people want to hear,
so they naturally respond.
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You must then live the story and fulfill the offer.
It’s helpful to think about offers as coming in two varieties – primary and
promotional. I’ll highlight a couple of Joyner’s favorite irresistible offers to
demonstrate one of each type.
The company filled a huge need at the time, because the monopolistic United
States
people,Postal Service provided unacceptable results to really important
mainly on Wall Street. So Fred took Wall Street’s money and became essential
by providing an offer that couldn’t be refused – guaranteed overnight delivery.
About the only thing this offer doesn’t communicate is price. If the price
wasn’t right, FedEx would not have blasted off; but in the early days, price
wasn’t the first question you asked if it really, absolutely, positively had to be
there the next morning.
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While trying to expand the business, Monaghan faced near bankruptcy and
franchise disputes that almost buried Domino’s. But one single promotional
idea changed everything and put Domino’s in an overwhelmingly dominant
position in this ultra-competitive field:
That simple guarantee was explosive. The secret to the offer’s success resides
in the nature of your average tired, hungry, time-strapped citizen. What seems
like the safer bet – the tastiest pizza in town with unpredictable timing, or the
pizza that arrives in a half an hour or else ends up a free meal?
The irony is, back before Domino’s had to discontinue the offer in 1993 due to
an auto injury lawsuit, the pizza sucked. Some think it still does.
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Make an Offer
It’s troubling to see so many entities trying to gain business online, yet
without ever making a compelling offer. There’s no apparent reason why
someone should select you from the overcrowded field, because often you’ve
made no express offer at all.
So many websites assume that a visitor will get the obvious value that the
owner knows he provides. Value is communicated through offers, however,
and those offers must be communicated quickly and explicitly. Consider your
own surfing habits for a second, and ask yourself – why would my target
audience be any different?
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But what does our guarantee really mean? What if you think this ebook is
actually marginal at best? There’s no money to return. And we can’t give you
back your valuable time if you feel it was wasted.
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The word guarantee is extremely powerful, but only coupled with evidence
of substance. The proof behind the guarantee accomplishes two things – it
demonstrates confidence in your offering, and relieves the risk to the
buyer.
Even when already emotionally and logically committed to what you have to
offer,
over buyers don’t want to make a mistake. It’s up to you to help them get
the hump.
Other techniques involve a “return premium.” The seller allows you to keep all
or part of the materials delivered even after the refund, or promises to pay you
double your money back (or some other multiple).
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Our first response might be to ask you how much faith you have in your
offering. If your faith is lacking, improve your product or service. As we’ve seen
with Domino’s Pizza and Federal Express (see previous section), the guarantee
was the key that made the offers irresistible.
But you’ve spotted the essence of the technique – you’re taking the buyer’s
risk and shifting it over to yourself. Assuming the faith in your offering is there,
here’s why you shouldn’t be concerned:
First of all, you will get some returns, no matter how much value you deliver.
The reason is that your guarantee will generate a much higher number of sales.
By taking the risk away from the buyer, invariably you’ll sell to someone who
the product wasn’t suited for. That’s okay; the numbers are working for you.
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Your returns will be lower than you think, even among those who experience
buyer’s remorse. We like to remain consistent on a psychological basis, and
our brains work hard to validate our earlier decisions. Couple that with the
ambivalence people experience when faced with initiating the return process
(especially for physical products), and the sale remains in place.
When it comes to information products, some people will rip you off. They’ll
happily consume the knowledge you offer, and still demand a refund. If your
product is digital, some will share your hard work with other people, and you
won’t make a dime. Don’t worry about it. Believe it or not, most people are
honest. Don’t lose sleep over those that are not. Your sales (and profits) are
up,
perhaps dramatically, because of your guarantee. That was the goal, right?
There are certainly other methods to keep customers happy and minimize
returns, but the general rule is to always make a strong, substantive
that actually transfers the reader’s risk back over to you.
Now that you’re comfortable with the basics of offers, guarantees, and writing
about features vs. benefits, let’s take a look at some unique ways to write
persuasive copy.
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While great writing is truly an art, those looking to improve their craft
as a copywriter can find a lot of help from behavioral psychology and
neuroscience studies.
The only problem is that good writers are often busy people, and they
don’t have time to slog through dry research papers to find an interesting
nugget or two.
Fortunately, we’ve done the heavy lifting for you, and today you’ll get to
look at 7 fascinating studies on the mind … and see how you can apply their
findings to produce more persuasive copy.
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You’re watching football, and your team’s quarterback gets slammed with a
bone-crunching tackle, snapping a rib.
Ooh …
That’s the power of mirror neurons and how they affect the human mind.
It’s likely that they’re biologically useful for necessary evolutionary traits,
such
as empathy, or “walking in someone else’s shoes.”
Think about the first example … if you did cringe at the thought of a man
breaking his ribs, you’re already experiencing this effect in action!
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When crafting compelling copy, you have to understand what keeps your
potential reader up at night.
It’s easy for us to write out, “Envision this …,” but it’s not as easy to get people
to care.
You have to speak to a feeling that’s already there -- not try to force one on
your reader.
If you’re selling software that takes the hassle out of content optimization, you
need to speak to the frustrated entreproducer who’s tired of nitpicking and
game-playing for Google, and who wants to get back to writing.
If you’re selling beer, you need to invoke memories of good times spent with
friends over an ice-cold beverage.
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Not only has research shown us that asking customers to directly compare
prices is a bad idea, but a study from Stanford University has revealed that that
selling “time” is far more effective (for most businesses) than selling money.
Jennifer Aaker, the lead researcher in the Stanford study, sought to explain
why companies like Miller would use a slogan such as …
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Writing compelling copy helps you speak to what really matters to your buyer
— and that’s their time, troubles, and objectives.
We know that customers are willing to pay more for exceptional service, but
you also need to understand that they’re willing to pay your prices if you speak
to them in a way that shows you value what they hope to achieve. Your efforts
will be perceived as far more genuine (and effective) than trying to sell them
on bottom-dollar prices.
Ultimately, time is a more scarce resource — once it’s gone, it’s gone — and
therefore it’s more meaningful to us.
In the study, researchers tested how changing a single phrase would affect
conversions over the long haul.
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They did this by setting up a free DVD trial program that customers could sign
up for, and testing it between two different phrases …
• “A $5 fee”
• “A small $5 fee”
They found that the second phrase was able to increase signup rates by
over 20%.
this
emphasis on the “small” fee made it far easier to deal with for conservative
spenders, also known as “tightwad” customers.
When it comes to great copywriting, however, the lesson is more in the art of
great writing rather than in the “science.”
You must take the time to measure, improve, and track the success of your
craft. Great writers today have no excuses for not testing their work, so make
sure you’re sweating the small stuff and keeping tabs on how it performs.
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Everything is high-level: they promise the world, and since many consumers
are hesitant to believe crazy claims, they’re more likely to glaze over your copy,
rather than get swept up by it.
The answer?
You might be familiar with the term “devil’s advocate,” which is when someone
takes a position they don’t inherently agree with in order to prove a point.
What you might not know is that the Catholic church used to use a person
called the “devil’s advocate” when they canonized someone into sainthood.
Their job was to find flaws with the person so the debate around them
was impartial.
They ended the practice … and with good cause, because you’ll soon see
that playing the devil’s advocate actually enhances the persuasiveness of the
original argument!
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Nemeth (and a few other researchers) have concluded that this occurs
because potential flaws and concerns are brought up (and subsequently
addressed) when engaging in the devil’s advocate style, either by the
speaker,
or — subliminally — by the listener.
like: Many of you are probably worried about ____ right now.
… because your concerns are put in the spotlight, instead of being ignored or
swept under the rug.
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And believe me, it is very much a piece of selling copy — you’re selling you to
some person who decides the fate of your future.
Verbs get specific and are harder to ignore, especially in a vain world where
everybody describes themselves with the same trite adjectives.
We know this guy Brian who is intelligent, hard-working, and really insightful.
Big whoop.
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Verbs get in your face, and since your competitors will be fluffing up their
copy with adjectives they found in a thesaurus, you can win people over by
describing what you actually do.
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Free – Dan Ariely, in his book Predictably Irrational, revealed a study with
chocolate truffles and Hershey’s Kisses that was quite startling: when the
Kisses were advertised as free, people chose them over the truffles by 38%
… despite the fact that most people had chosen the truffles when the Kisses
were just a penny!
Because – In a classic study from Robert Cialdini, the research found that
people were more willing to heed to a request (in this case, to cut in line)
when people used the word “because”… even if the request was nonsensical
(for example, “Can I use the copy machine first because I need to make
a copy?”).
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No other form of writing can keep you up into the wee hours of the night
(willingly!) quite like stories.
People can block out sales pitches, but everybody loves listening to stories.
Their research shows that stories have a tendency to get in “under the
radar” and transport us to another place; in this place we may embrace things
we’d likely scoff at in the harsh “real world.”
This is great news for those adept at telling an enchanting tale, but how can
the rest of us write more persuasive stories?
According to additional research by the duo, the following tactics work well:
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Detailed imagery: Imagery paints the picture for story. It’s hard to understand
how scary Mordor is without Tolkien giving you detailed descriptions of the
barren landscapes, the looming presence of Mt. Doom, and the horrifying
screams of the Nazgul.
Suspense: How do you get people to finish a story? Leave them begging to
know the end in the very beginning. It’s hard for us to not finish things that
catch our attention, so lead with something exciting first — not later.
Metaphors and irony: The reason that stories like Animal Farm are so popular
is because they tell a hidden tale through metaphor (such as depicting the rise
of Stalin). Many good stories include these elements so that readers will have
“Aha!” moments, allowing them to truly grasp the author’s message.
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Long or short copy, which works best? What about headlines — how long
should they be?
Whatever works.
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Studies done from the direct mail industry show that about 50% to 60% of the
most effective headlines are eight words or less, leaving ample indication that
longer headlines work, too.
Now, here’s an exception that applies online. Perhaps you’ve seen web
sales letters or landing pages which have a headline that looks like a short
paragraph. These long headlines can’t possibly be working, right?
the top of the page where the headline should be, then making their way back
again across the first subhead, then down the left hand side of the page to see
if anything else is of interest.
This study verifies the 80/20 rules of headlines (see above). But it also
demonstrates that you might want to include more information in your
headline than 8 words can usually get across in an effort to get the rest of the
page read.
All in all though, short headlines are easier to scan and cannot be missed.
My general rule of thumb is to write the shortest headline possible that
convincingly conveys a unique benefit to the reader so they’ll read the body.
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Yes they do, and for many products, long copy outsells short copy by a large
margin. The basic rule of copy length is the same as headlines – as long as
necessary, but no longer.
The key is writing copy that’s interesting and informative to someone who
actually cares. But beyond that, there are some guidelines that can help, so
let’s see what the experts say.
Bob Bly says that the length of your copy will depend on three things:
• The Product: the more features and benefits a product has, the longer
the copy.
• The Audience: Certain people want as much information as they can
get before making a purchase. This is especially true of people on the
Internet, and especially true with information products.
• The Purpose: What’s the goal? Generating a lead for a service business
requires less detail, but an ad that aims to make a sale must overcome
every objection the potential buyer may have.
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Joe Sugarman says two factors increase the need for more copy:
• Price point: The higher the price, the more copy required to justify or
create the need.
• Unusual Item: The more unusual the product, the more you need to
relate that product to the user by clearly demonstrating the benefits.
Michel Fortin sets forth four categories of products, with each successive
category requiring longer copy:
Read Michel’s blog post here for an elaboration of his ideas about the long
copy vs. short copy debate. Great stuff.
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Whatever Works
So, we come full circle. The guidelines set forth by these copywriting pros
can help, but the answer remains the same:
The length of your headline and your copy will depend on whatever works for
whatever you are selling.
And the only way to know what works is to test different approaches.
Test various headlines to see which works best at capturing attention and
communicating a benefit. Test the amount of information you provide. Does
more or less work better at producing the desired action?
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The term “style” is thrown around a lot by writers, but it’s a misnomer for
copywriters because “style” doesn’t work in the extremely short attention
economy of the internet.
Good copy isn’t necessarily “stylish,” but copy that establishes trust, authority,
builds relationships, and gets people talking, sharing, and buying is in high
demand. A lack of style is what makes it work, so writers who master this
“style” are sought after and revered.
Legendary ad man David Ogilvy was one of those sought-after writers, and he
said, “A good advertisement is one which sells the product without drawing
attention to itself.”
It sounds counterintuitive, but it holds up under pressure, and I’ll explain why
great content marketing is built on that exact premise.
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Every writer eventually reaches for a style guide to help them craft clear copy,
and there are countless helpful rulebooks and list posts that offer writers
advice about proper usage and consistent language.
Copyblogger actually has its own internal style guide, and members of
the editorial crew often squabble about usage over (virtual) martinis.
We are also big fans of the classic English guidebook, The Elements of Style
by Strunk & White.
This is very solid advice for online publishers … that was written in 1918!
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E. B. White was more than a revered journalist (contributor to the New Yorker
for 60 years), and award-winning children’s author (Charlotte’s Web).
He honed his writing style as a copywriter in the 1920s, and contributed what
he learned to The Elements of Style re-issue in chapter V, “An Approach to Style.”
Mr. White edited the style guide with some reluctance, and was quoted years
later as saying,
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Style results more from what a person is than from what he knows.
Every writer can memorize rules — but how you get people’s attention
requires some creativity.
Don’t get too hung up on the rules, or your copy might end up sucking, and
that would break the first rule of Copyblogger.
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Avoid:
Tweets and text messages require some brevity, slang, and LOL acronyms, but
connecting with your audience in longer copy requires fewer distractions.
Good copy cuts like a knife. When it’s action you’re after, avoid big words that
make you sound like you’re trying too hard to sound smart or important.
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Proven to be one of the English language’s most powerful words, you is a word
that can’t lose.
How else are your prospects going to get to know, like, and trust you? How
else are search engines going to recognize that you have the answers to
people’s questions?
Research, research, research. Know your audience inside and out, and
understand the language they use when they speak about your topic. Then
use that language in your copy.
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Concise and specific copy moves the prospect along, but adjectives and
adverbs are (often) just filler. The more descriptors you throw in there,
the higher the chances are that someone with the attention span of a
hummingbird will click away (unless you are describing the features of
something technical).
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He would edit his first draft four or five times before showing it to a client, who
would inevitably change it again.
8. Do not overwrite
Without clarity, your copy doesn’t stand a chance. Overwriting is a symptom of
underthinking. Good copy is damn hard to write.
9. Do not overstate
Superlatives have the power to wreck your copy.
When you overstate or exaggerate your claims (with things like trumped-up
testimonials), you risk losing the trust of your audience.
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Stick to one metaphor or the other, but not both in one sentence.
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It’s an art because it requires creativity, a sense of beauty and style — a certain
aptitude, mastery, and special knowledge. Artistic advertising allows you to
create content marketing that’s not just practical and persuasive, but awe-
inspiring and breathtaking.
Writing effective copy is also a science, because it exists in the world of tests,
trial and failure, improvement, breakthroughs, education, and predictability.
Scientific advertising allows you to develop an idea, then test that idea. It’s
how you know if your content marketing is working.
In bad copy, one (or both) of these elements are missing. In good copy, they
are both abundant.
Read on, and we’ll explore ten examples of good copy living (and selling) out
in the wild …
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1. Plain copy
The most basic approach to writing effective copy is to simply introduce
the product without gimmick or style. It’s a simple presentation of the facts
and benefits.
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Google’s copy isn’t going to win any literary awards, but it will get the
job done.
It will give a prospect the information she needs to make an informed decision
about the product.
2. Storytelling copy
As we’ve talked about before — everyone loves a good story.
And the moral of the story, coincidentally, is that your product was the catalyst
to overcoming those odds.
You might find this storytelling technique in an email series, a landing page, or
a short video. Whatever the format, you’ll get four basic traits in the story:
• Opening: Introduce the pain. Show how the character of the story had
a normal life, then how that life was shattered by a change of events.
• Conflict: How is the life of the main character threatened if he or she
does not respond to the problem? What does her journey look like as
she tackles this challenge?
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3. Conversational copy
John Caples calls conversational copy “You and Me.”
Write this style of copy like a conversation between two people: the
copywriter and the prospect.
“I know how you feel. I felt the same way. That all changed when I found
x, y and z.”
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In fact, you can record a conversation about the product, transcribe that
conversation, and use it as a rough draft. It’s an easy way to create natural,
conversational copy.
As an advertiser, you can ask your target audience to imagine a painless way
to lose weight, or what it would feel like to be a successful travel writer.
Imaginative copy typically begins with words like imagine, close your eyes,
pretend for a moment, discover, or picture this in the first paragraph of the text.
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In this example, you are asked to imagine your life in a certain way —
to picture what it would be like to live your dream, whatever that dream
might be.
Then the copywriter paints a picture of achieving that ideal life through
your product.
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5. Long copy
The fundamental premise behind long copy is, “The more you tell, the more
you sell.” Ads that are long on facts and benefits will convert well.
Page after page of facts and benefits are presented because the proposition
isn’t simple — typical prospects are going to be asking a lot of questions.
Better to anticipate those questions, and answer them in the copy.
But when you’re following the basic rules of content marketing that works,
remember that you don’t have to present all the facts and benefits up front.
You can leak the presentation over a period of weeks through an email
autoresponder (like our Content series), or a registration-based content library
(like MyCopyblogger).
In this way, you’re turning long copy into short, easily-digestible snippets.
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Our goal isn’t to convince our audience that we’re smart — it’s educating and
selling with our copy.
As David Ogilvy once said, “We sell, or else.” But we try to sell with style. We try
to balance the killer with the poet.
Killer poet copy sees writing as a means to an end (making a sale), and the ad
as an end in itself (beautiful design and moving story).
In other words, the killer poet combines style with selling. Creativity with
marketing. Story with solution.
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7. Direct-from-CEO copy
It’s a known fact — third-party endorsements can help you sell products.
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8. Frank copy
Some copy will explain the ugly truth about the product.
This approach doesn’t start with the jewels of your goods — it starts with
the warts.
When selling a car, you might point out the endless repairs that need to be
done — thin brake pads, leaky transmission, busted sway bar, and inoperable
dashboard — before you introduce the leather seats, Monsoon stereo system,
sun roof, brand-new tires, and supercharged engine.
What you’re saying is this car will need a lot of TLC. You might even go as far as
to say, “Make no mistake here — there’s much work to be done here.”
And here’s a curious thing: when you are honest and transparent about
product weaknesses, the customer trusts you.
When the reader trusts you, they will be considerably more likely to believe
you when you point out the good qualities of your product.
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9. Superlative copy
There are also times when you can make outlandish claims.
The problem with superlative copy is that it’s often hard to make outlandish
claims and not sound like you are hyping it up — so use this type of
copy sparingly.
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This type of copy is a direct challenge to the reader that leverages the velvet
rope approach — the idea that only an exclusive set of people are invited to
use a product.
The American Express Black Card is a good example here — this card is
reserved for the world’s wealthiest and most elite. The only way you can get
your hands on one is if you are invited.
Similarly, consider the dating site Beautiful People. If you want to be part of
this exclusive dating club made up of “beautiful” people, then you have to be
voted in by existing members:
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This approach also keys into our sense of wanting to belong. It generates that
curiosity itch, and activates our pride. We think, “How dare they say I might
not be good enough to get into their club? I’ll show them.”
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Conclusion
In the end, great copy often combines several of these techniques into one ad.
The CEO of a company writes a conversational sales letter built around a story
about his passion for his product (whether it is peaches or water pumps).
A copywriter writes a long rejection ad that explains why certain people are
excluded from receiving an invitation to dine at an exclusive restaurant.
Or a Savile Row tailor writes a plain but elegant sales letter about his suits,
which have been worn by kings and presidents.
Now that we’ve seen examples of great copywriting, let’s look at the flip side
— what does really bad copywriting look like?
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But when a results-oriented writer and an image-oriented writer each say the
word “creative,” they are talking about two completely different things.
With that in mind, here are seven kinds of copy you need to avoid (with a little
help from legendary copywriter John Caples).
Copywriters beware …
1. Lyrical
This is the type of copy that you see from someone who loves words — long
words in particular.
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This is the person whose grandmother squeezed her cheeks and said, “You are
our little wordsmith.” Whose English Literature cronies would stroke their chins
and say, “I think you’re on to something. Not sure what, but you’re on to it.”
Let’s imagine this wordsmith works for Black & Decker. She is asked to write
sales copy for a cordless drill. It might look like this:
Carpenters, with one little boring unit made from the 22nd element
of the periodic table you can create a precise aperture in any piece of
wood. And, behold, with the ergonomic grip zone constraining is done
with amenity and gratification. Visit any one of our facilities if you are
predisposed to acquiring a unit.
The only problem is this is a painful piece to read. Nobody knows what you
are talking about. It is a guessing game — and your audience doesn’t have the
patience to guess.
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2. Sentimental
Sentimental copy sounds like it was written by a college student who enjoys
sunsets, foreign films, incense, and long bubble baths.
He is a copywriter with a single and solitary goal: to make you “feel” the
copy.
If you don’t feel the copy, then he’s failed.
He stands in the door way — a tear hangs like a sapphire from his eyelash,
ready
to plunge into the depths of his lonely and loveless heart. You are drinking
from
the cup of the dark night, confused by the decaying shadow of his love, dazed
by
the breath of a broken promise. When he lowers the veil on your heart, you will
fling yourself into the depths of hunger and death.
That might work for a Nicholas Sparks novel, but never in advertising. Shoot
for the straight and the simple.
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3. Outlandish
This is your garden variety snake-oil salesman.
• The product that will eliminate $45,000 in debt in less than 45 days!
• The DVD that swears you can look like a Russian body builder with
nothing more than a chair and four minutes a day!
• The stock that will make Google’s stock price look like a steal.
It’s the world of yellow highlight markers, images of jaw-dropping tax returns
and promises of endless freedom to indulge in every whim.
But it’s also a world of broken dreams where you might make a mint in the
short term, but over time, your reputation will sour.
This type of advertising betrays confidence. It does harm. It stings, and leaves
a bad taste in our mouths. Sonia calls this the troll under the bridge — and it’s a
sure fire way to kill conversions.
It appears when we are young and suckered into the milk-can con job at the
traveling carnival. Or the Sea-Monkey hoax where you are lead to believe you
will spawn little people in an aquarium — but what you end up with is just
cheap fish food.
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You feel stupid for falling for such tricks. You vow never to fall again. You
grow a thick skin to advertising. And every honest salesman and every
sincere sales page that crosses your path is viewed as a fraud.
There is a limit to credibility. A limit to what people will believe. If you cross
that invisible line in your sales copy, people will shut you down.
Better to make a promise that you know your audience will believe without
having to stretch their judgment. Better yet, tell the ugly truth. What you say
after that will be easier to swallow.
4. Humorous
The problem with humorous copy is that humor is fickle. It’s a minefield. For
every person who laughs at a blonde joke, you have one person who hates
you for it.
Some people like deadpan humor. Others like dark humor. Some like slapstick.
Still others like sarcasm. Many like bathroom humor while others want the
highbrow sort.
Unless you are absolutely certain that a majority of your paying customers like
dark humor, then don’t use it.
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What you find funny is likely insulting to others — and that will damage the
effectiveness of your copy. That’s not a risk you should be willing to take.
Of course, there are the rare exceptions. There are writers who occasionally go
down the absurd, clever, humorous route — and it pays off.
Your chances, however, are much better if you stick to clear, concise, and
compelling copy. Or at the very least, avoid humor until you’re certain you are
actually funny.
5. Short
Short copy — so brief that the entire advertisement could fit on the back of a
business card — is bliss for those who use it.
in
a magazine is devoted to the name of the product, plus an alluring slogan:
“Seduction is essential,” or “Your money is
your money.”
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Nobody knows what those slogans mean, not even the marketing director.
But it’s that mystery we love.
It goes against the grain of tested advertising methods that have proven
longer copy will virtually always outsell short copy.
6. Clever
Clever is what you get when you have a writer who thinks he is smart —
smarter than the average reader — and he’s out to prove how smart he is.
Clever is also what you get when you don’t have a marketing clue.
Let’s say you’re an architect selling the benefits of your firm, and you write
this headline:
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You meant “not cool” but, hey, look at you — you said it in a clever way! Word
play! Everyone in your firm thinks you are a genius! Unfortunately, everyone
else will think you are a moron for trying to sell them a house that will one day
flop over.
Few people actually read clever advertisements. They are confused by the
headline, and the few who do read recognize what you are trying (and failing)
to do.
If your job rides upon effective advertising, then make sure it accomplishes
these four things:
And when you give them the kind of content they don’t want to delete—you
won’t need clever copywriting.
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7. Advertorial
Once a popular and effective approach — used by some of the best
copywriters in the land — the advertorial is now overused (possibly even flat-
out abused).
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In the lede, you have loaded language like “scammed” and “overpaying,” to
hit those hot buttons—so even if you miss the word ADVERTISEMENT,
readers will sense this is not really meant to inform, but to persuade.
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But here’s the thing — these ads have been running for a very long time. That
tells us two things:
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Nearly done!
We’re nearly done with our Copywriting 101 lessons — we’ve just got one
more for you. As a successful copywriter, there’s a practice you will want to
turn into a steady habit, and that’s learning from other writers. You’ll find out
how to draw inspiration from your peers, teachers, compatriots and mentors.
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Don’t reinvent the wheel. Study and draw inspiration from great copy
that works.
I’m not talking about copy that you personally think is great. It’s a mistake to
judge advertising like regular people do – as entertainment. Madison Avenue
has a great gig producing short entertainment pieces called commercials that
often don’t sell much of anything.
I’m talking about drawing inspiration from advertising copy that has
demonstrated its effectiveness by actually working as intended. Like a direct
mail piece that has raked in millions and millions of dollars in sales.
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It’s a bit like why lawyers begin with a basic form when drafting a new legal
document, or why web designers start with a basic code structure. Start with
something solid, and customize from there.
The problem with the swipe file approach is context. Many new and
inexperienced writers (and often many pros) will miss the mark when trying to
adapt past copy to a new situation.
Most marketers make the mistake of thinking social media is a tool for talking.
They believe it’s for distributing a message far and wide, and measuring the
response that comes back.
It’s true that the internet is a direct response playground. Marketers haven’t
had this clear a picture of their buyers since the days of the bazaar. But the
social web is also the most powerful market research tool you’ll ever use.
Sites like Twitter and Facebook can tell you the exact words your prospects
are using to describe their wishes, hopes, fears, worries, and dissatisfactions.
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And the words people use when searching for information makes keyword
research a goldmine that goes way beyond SEO.
But the most effective copywriters also remember that classic piece of wisdom
from Grandma:
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But of all our skills, copywriting may just be the most important. Because
as content marketers, we’re in the business of selling something. It might
be high-end consulting services, or could be a fantastic line of t-shirts and
sweatshirts. No matter what we’re selling, we must be able to persuade people
to buy.
Copywriting skills truly separate the wheat from the chaff in the land of
content marketers, and hopefully we’ve given you a good crash course on how
to hone and perfect your persuasive writing methods.
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